The interesting thing is I’ve never felt afraid of sharks–even that big open mouth doesn’t make me nervous. They always told me when I was a kid that shark attacks were incredibly rare, and unheard of in shallow water (where people who aren’t surfing swim). And indeed they were.I think there was one in my whole growing up years, and the victim survived (one-armed). On the other hand, we had two serial killers in those years in our county. Who scared me more?

I can’t believe the mouth doesn’t make you nervous. Of course, serial killers are another fear of mine. I used to have Ted Bundy dreams as well as shark dreams. And it’s true, shark attacks are incredibly rare. I will remember that during my first ocean scuba dive tomorrow. That’s part of the reason I want to meditate on such images—is it possible that to transcend the fear?